Cheers thepodge, YHM too.

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Depends which tool you're using. I have the Park Tool set which has screw-in guides which also protect the threads when you're facing. Even if you've had to take a fair bit of material off the faces, take out the guides and quick blow to check there's no swarf loose in the shell and you're pretty much good to go…

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If you're going to be touring and doing hills, go for the triple. It's good to be flexible.

However, if your commute is flat, you'll probably be in the big ring most of the time anyway, so be aware that that ring will wear out faster than the other two. Plus there's a bit of an issue with big ring / big sprocket usage – noise and wear will be slightly higher if you have a triple.

That said, keep your gears working properly and you'll be fine. I'd go for the triple if you think you might need it.

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Hard to say without seeing the ads.

Give lots of information, post lots of photos. Detail all the flaws as well as citing all the good stuff.

And a reasonable price (that you'd discuss offers on) will always help too.

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"If you chase too aggressively"

…not if you're using a good tool. If the threads are right and clean, the tool won't have anything to cut and will just spin in and out.

Even if you _face_ aggressively, you'd have to do an awful lot to make a significant difference from 68mm (or 70, 73 or 83, or whatever).

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Feppin' heck! Good work – that's amazing!

My mate Dan is running 1002 miles in August and is telling a similar story of what you can do by just not accepting failure. Inspiring stuff: http://www.crewsaders.com/site/index.php?ID=65

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Hard to say. I'm "training" both, I suppose. If I'm out mountain biking I'm trying to look up more, go faster, ride more smoothly, get more "flow" and maybe a bit less jey – mostly skill, so mostly mind. If I'm on the road bike I'm usually thinking more about HR, cadence, gear choice, effort and making it up hills, so that's more body.

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Facing just takes everything (paint, corrosion, burrs, unevenness) off the faces of the BB shell and makes sure they're flat, parallel and exactly perpendicular to the BB axle. Chasing cuts the threads properly at the right angle and makes sure they're clean and free of all the above things.

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It takes time. When a frame's being built in a factory in Taiwan (or anywhere else, for that matter), the quicker it can be built the better. If most frames will be built up in shops by mechanics with the right tools, why duplicate that at the factory when you can save a few quid as a manufacturer?

I don't necessarily think this is best, and also most frames direct from the manufacturers are pretty much chased and faced anyway, but that may be why the Ragley needs it doing…

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The genuine Veho Muvi ones have better image quality and stabilisation, and you don't have the date stamp permanently in the bottom right of the picture.

But for under £20, the knock-off ones are still a bit of a bargain. You'll need a fast memory card, class 4 or 6.

If you want a proper Muvi, I have a couple left over from a big batch I bought for work that I've been meaning to put on eBay for a month or two, and the Extreme Sports pack (basically a handy rubber sleeve and some decent mounts), give me a shout.

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These aren't too bad either:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/evolution-20-2010-mountain-bike-ec021914

Good frame, good parts (though I don't know why they went for Toras) and heavily discounted 'cos it's Evans' own brand.

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From what I remember of a conversation with a big German guy at a trade fair, KMC do make chains for other people. I think they make the lower-end Shimano and Campag chains. I think Ultegra, Dura-Ace, Record and Chorus chains are all made in-house but 105 and below are KMCs.

However, this was a couple of years ago and I can't really remember. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable may be along soon…

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I'd say you might as well go for a 36h. It _will_ be stronger if it's properly built. The weight difference (of four spokes!) will be negligible, and it's not like they're some peculiar boutique size – most decent rims and hubs are available in 36h.

DO get double butted spokes. Don't skimp here – good quality spokes (I prefer Sapims but lots of people on here are DT fans) make a huge difference to wheels and plain gauge spokes will NOT build a stronger wheel. Look at Sapim Force if you're going to abuse the wheel, they're 2.3mm at the elbow, 1.8 through the length and 2.0 at the thread. Excellent spokes.

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P.S. drop me an email (pete at ratracecycles dot com) if you want advice or a quote.

This is a flippin' bargain:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_173083_categoryId_165572_langId_-1?cm_vc=IOV4PLPZ1

The 150 piece Professional toolkit – half price at £99.99. I've got one and it's great quality, the only thing it lacks are a couple of breaker bars.

Snap-On are incredibly good, but they're also incredibly expensive. I've use Halfords Professional stuff in my workshops because they have a lifetime guarantee: keep your receipt somewhere safe. If the tool breaks, they'll replace it for you.

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Saturday: ride in Bedgebury Forest, go home, welcome mother-in-law
Sunday: early morning road ride, lots of cooking and preparation
Monday: Mrs. Pierre's 30th. A big family and friends picnic / gathering in a park and lots of games of rounders and drinking.

:)

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I also don't like SRAM chains. KMC or Campag for me too!

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Spent a morning on a city bike with one sightseeing in Stockholm. I'd forgotten how much of a hassle they are: not particularly powerful and if you're off-roading or even avoiding speedbumps / potholes it takes a LONG time to remember that you can't level the pedals unless you pedal them forwards, which you don't always have space to do.

I am not a fan.

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Sounds like it's too tight. As well as putting the chain under strain (which, to be honest, it's built for so that shouldn't be too much of a problem) the bigger issues are the constant pressure on the bottom bracket / freewheel / hub bearings. These will wear out more quickly.

However, if it's only a little bit too tight and it's a new chain then you might find that after a few rides it "wears in" as the chain "stretches" and the bushings wear slightly.

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The difference in pressure is negligible, but if the spacers are fitted properly and the BB is screwed in to the right torque, it shouldn't be a problem – the little plastic spacers are pretty strong and you're not going beyond the design limits of the BB, the manual probably shows various different spacer configurations you could use.

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Erse! Commiserations, and best of luck with police / finding them / insurance etc.

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SpokesCycles, that would make sense. If the chainrings are all closer to the seat tube than they used to be, and this is stopping the front mech shifting down into the smallest properly (limit screw letting it rest on the tube), sticking another spacer behind the BB on the driveside should push everything out a bit.

Otherwise, as other people have said, mech height and cable tension are likely culprits…

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Not sure, you'll probably need to do something to get rid of the oil first.

I've rejuvenated pads by soaking them in isopropyl alcohol – and then setting fire to them. :)

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P.S. IT AINT NICKED OR NUTHIN LOL

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A few shops I know have Topeak Joe Blows as shop floor pumps. They last really well, they're easy to rebuild and they're not stupidly expensive. That's why I've got one too. :)

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Fail. The one thing the 705 really needed (apart from a better interface) was an electronic compass. The one thing most other Garmins have, and this one still doesn't? An electronic compass…

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Check out the jobs section of the BikeBiz website. Sadly it's often flooded by Halfords but a good place to keep an eye on if you're looking.

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"it's dead easy to remove them" is handy if you have to keep replacing the bearings… ;)

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What amedias said. Still running a pair of Middleburns and a Royce BB on the singlespeed, wonderfully smooth and stood up to several years of abuse and more torque than I'd normally put through gears.

There's likely to be a torque setting written somewhere in the paperwork that comes with the cranks. If not, somewhere around 40-50Nm is normal. Remember to grease the threads of the bolts _only_ – DON'T grease the axle / tapers of the cranks, there's practically no risk of them seizing together and they're an interference fit so you're best off tightening them properly, taking them for a ride or two and then checking they're still tight. If you grease the tapers, you risk over-tightening the crank bolt and pushing the cranks too far onto the axle, which may start them splitting.

Oh, and make sure your crank remover is properly screwed in (not cross-threaded and tightened fully) before trying to remove any cranks! Stripped threads mean the crank will be a b*tch to remove…

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Wow. That long. RIP JMC.

If he was around now, he'd _still_ be riding better than many of us could ever aspire to. On pretty much any bike.

I also have a copy of DIRT on VHS. And no video player any more… DezB, you're about to have mail!

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Fair enough. Thanks for the advice!

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I've done nearly 70 on the Vespa ;)

simon_g, where did you get that information from? It's what I was suspecting but couldn't find confirmation.

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I'm looking at the A2 licence, i.e. doing the test on the 125 Vespa then having a full licence with which I could only ride limited bikes for 2 years then it would be unlimited.

Just wondering whether I would need to do the test on a geared bike… See what I mean?

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Sorry, I meant yes you can ride both geared and automatic on a CBT. But you can't ride over a 125 (11kW) without a full licence.

I'm asking whether I can just do the test on the Vespa and get a full A licence to ride a geared bike in the future. So I don't have to use a motorbike school bike or hire one or buy one…

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Yes, you can. What I mean is can I take my test on an automatic (i.e. the Vespa) and be given a licence to ride a geared bike? Unlike in a car, where if you take your test in an automatic car you then only get a licence to drive an automatic, you have to take another test in a geared car if you want to drive one.

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Most should at least offer you a discount if you're buying a bike from them at the same time. Few will give you free stuff.

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I've got polarised Oakley straightjackets (from way back) and A-frames (for snowboarding) and I love them. Oakley seem to do a good job of aligning the polarity of the lenses to minimise problems viewing LCD screens, IMO, and as for not being able to see contours in the snow, I've found polarised lenses to give better contour definition than non-polarised.

The polarisation cuts out glare, especially off water, which I've mainly found useful when driving.

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A slicked up MTB won’t be much different to a road bike for training purposes

I disagree. I ride a "slicked up MTB" to commute and I've got a proper road bike and they feel completely different. The road bike is stiffer, lighter and simply faster.

£900 should buy you a decent bike for training. If it's your first road bike, don't go for carbon fibre, especially second hand. Get something with an alu frame, carbon forks (maybe a carbon back end) and a decent groupset and wheels. Shimano stuff goes Sora – Tiagra – 105 – Ultegra – Dura Ace (best); go for something 105 or better.

I build wheels, but that's not the only reason I'd recommend a good pair of hand built wheels: they will be stronger and more durable than something with a low spoke count and should not weigh significantly more. Most Paris-Roubaix riders eschew lightweight carbon wheels for handbuilts for that race because they are more resilient.

Sorry, just a little rant. Good luck with finding a bike; contact your local roadie club if you want help and advice, and often a possible bargain.

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Thanks scienceofficer :) – my A-level chemistry was a long time ago! I vaguely remembered something to do with two different metals in solution, but that's not the same reaction as two different metals in contact (galvanic?) or two different metals well-insulated from each other (a non-reaction!)

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I'm not sure but I think copper grease is better in this case than Shimano grease (for a titanium frame) as it is designed to conduct (so short-circuit an electrolytic reaction) rather than insulate.

It's possible that if you only applied copper grease to the BB (and not the shell) then when you screwed in the BB, all the grease worked its way down the threads to the "outboard" end, which left the "inboard" end un-greased and caused the reaction. If so, apply plenty of grease all the way down the threads in the shell as well as to the BB threads.

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Don't worry too much about the spacing when you're bleeding – hydraulic discs automatically adjust for pad wear so they will accommodate inaccuracies in pad spacing when you're bleeding. The main thing is to make sure that you don't force the pistons out (if you've got the pads out) or get fluid on the pads (if you've got the pads in).

Shimano brakes come with a yellow plastic block that's about 1cm thick to stick between the bare pistons; many others come with a spacer block that's about 4mm thick to wedge between the pads. If you don't have either, use a Lego brick for the former or a 2p wrapped in tape for the latter.

HTH.

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